Adjustable gate hinge



Sept. 15, 1953 J. M. THOMPSON ADJUSTABLE GATE HINGE Filed 001;. 10, 1951 4 3 Inventor Patented Sept. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to a novel construction of gate hinge primarily intended for farm gates .ent invention to provide a gate hinge having means for clamping engagement with end rails of gates of various cross sectional shapes and -without requiring that the gate hinge pass through the gate end rail, so that the gate hinge is especially adapted for metal gates.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a gate hinge of extremely simple construction capable of being readily assembled, including fastening means for assembling the sections thereof and which cooperate with the end rail of a gate engaged by the hinge, for rigidly retaining the sections in adjusted assembled relationship to one another and for swivelly mounting an end portion of the hinge on an upright of a gate post.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational View of a gate and gate post showing the gate swingably supported relatively to the gate post by a pair of the adjustable gate hinges;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of a portion of the gate and gate post supporting member showing the hinge aplied thereto;

Figure 3 is a top plan view thereof, partly in section, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an end elevational view, partly in section, looking from right to left of Figures 2 and 3;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the three sections of the gate hinge with the fastening unit thereof removed, and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing the gate hinge clamped to an end rail of a gate of a different cross sectional shape.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the novel adjustable gate hinge in its entirety is designated generally 8 and includes a body portion, designated generally 9 composedof an in- ,and 6.

termediate section I t and end sections H and H2. The three sections comprising the body '3 may be formed of any suitable metal of sufficient strength to support a gate and may be casted, stamped or otherwise produced. The intermediate section Ill has longitudinally extending parallel side edges I 3 which are provided with grooves [3a which extend from end to end thereof and which are disposed intermediate of the opposite parallel sides I4. One end l5 of the intermediate section I0 is provided with a semicircular recess l6 which extends from one side It to the opposite side I4 thereof and which is disposed intermediate of the longitudinal edges I2. The opposite end I! of the interme diate section I0 is provided with a substantially V-shaped notch [8 which likewise extends from side to side thereof and to adjacent each of the side edges l3.

The end section II is of semicircular shape and includes an inner end portion I 9 having a semicircular recess 20, corresponding to the recess l5 and an outer semicircular edge 2| which is disposed concentrically around the recess 20 and which is provided with a groove 22 extending from end to end thereof and which is likewise disposed intermediate of the opposite sides 23 of the end section II.

The section l2 includes a substantially fiat straight outer end portion 24 which is disposed at a right angle to the side edges 25 of said section [2. The side edges 25 are provided with grooves 26 intermediate of the opposite sides 21 of said section and which align with the grooves Ba and groove 22 when complementary sides of the sections [0, H and I2 are in the same plane and when the complementary edges 13 and 25 are in the same plane and the edges 13 merge with the ends of the outer edge 21. The opposite, inner end '28 of the section I2 is provided with a V-shaped recess or notch 29,

corresponding to the notch l8 and which notches combine to form opposed jaw faces.

The gate hinge 3 also includes a U-shaped bolt 30 having an intermediate or bight porsection'al size to fit the groove 22 of the section l and the legs 32 of which are spaced apart a f proper distance to receive the sections l0 and I2 therebetween and are of proper cross sectional diameter to fit into the aligned grooves I31; and 26 thereof, as illustrated in Figures 2, 3 The said legs 32 "are made of sufiicient length to extend a substantial distance beyond the outer end 24 of the section 12, when the sections are assembled as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4 and 6 the terminals of said legs 32 are each threaded as seen in 33 to receive a nut 34. Before the nuts 34 are applied to the threaded ends 33, a bar 35 having openings 36 adjacent the ends thereof and which are spaced apart a distance corresponding to the spacing of the legs 32 is applied to said legs over their threaded ends 33 and disposed against" the outer end 24 of the section |Z.

Figure 1 illustrates a gate post 31 on which an upright gate supporting member 38 is supported in an upright position and substantially parallel to the gate post 31 by a plurality of nut and bolt fastenings 39. The gate supporting member is spaced from the gate post 31 by spacing sleeves it, interposed therebetween and mounted on the fastenings 39. As illustrated in Figures 2 to 4 and 6, the gate supporting member 38 is of circular cross section and sized to be received in the circular opening formed by the recesses l6 and 20 when the hinge 8 is assembled. Accordingly, the sections It and ll are assembled around a portion of the supporting member 38 and the bolt 3i; is then applied to said sections, as illustrated in Figures I to 4 and 6. The notch 58 of the section H3 is then positioned against an upright end rail 4| of a conventional gate 12. and the section I2 is then inserted between the bolt legs 32 so that its notch 23 will abut against said end rail 4| in opposed relationship to the notch or recess [3. The cross head 35 is then applied to the ends 33 of the bolt 33 and the nuts 34 are then applied to the. said. ends and tightened so that the. surfaces. of the recesses l8 and 29, forming clampingj'aw faces, will be drawn into clamping engagement with the gate end 4|, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, and with the adjacent ends l1 and 28 of the sections I'll and I2 spaced from one another. This will likewise draw the section towards the opposite end of the section In so that the inner end portions l9 will abut against the complementary end portions i5 and the recesses I6 and 20 will. be disposed in opposed relationship tov form a circular opening of somewhat larger diameter than the external diameter of the supporting member 38, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 6, so that the hinge 3 may swivel about said supporting member 38 while clamped to the gate end 4|. Each of the two hinges 8, as. illustrated in Figure 1, is thus applied to the supporting member 38 and gate end 4| and it desired and for larger gates additional hinges could be employed. The supporting member 38 carries a supporting collar 43 which is adjustably secured thereto by one or more set screws. 44 and which is positioned below the upper hinge 8 when said hinge is applied to the supporting member 38. After the hinge has also been secured to the gate. end 4| and said gate is elevated to a desired level, with the set screw 44 loosened, the collar 43 is displaced upwardly and against a portion of the undersides i4. and, 23 of. the sections Ill and ll, respectively, and the. set screw or set screws. 44 is. then tightened so that the upper hinge 8 will. be swivelly supported on the supporting member 38 and will rest on and turnably engage the upper end of the collar 44 for supporting the gate 42. If desired, the supporting member 38 may be provided with a second collar 43, not. shown, which may be similarly secured thereto below the lower hinge 8. The gate hinge 8 is especially adapted for use with metal gates and eliminates drilling a hole through the gate to receive a gate hinge.

In Figures 1 to 4, the gate end 4| has been shown as being circular in cross section as is most common in metal gates. However, the jaw surfaces l8 and 29 are likewise adapted to clamp gate ends of other cross sectional shapes, for example, the gate end 4|a of rectangular cross section, as illustrated in Figure 6.

It will also be readily apparent that the gate hinge 8 may be made in various sizes to accommodate gate supporting members and gate ends of difierent sizes and various other modifications and changes are likewise contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1.. A gate hinge comprising a body portion including an intermediate section, a first end section and a second end section, said intermediate section and first end section having adjacent end portions provided with corresponding semicircul'ar" recesses combining to form a circular opening when said adjacent ends of the intermediate section and first end section are in abutting engagement and in which an upright gate supporting member is adapted to loosely fit for swivelly mounting the gate hinge thereon adjacent to one end of said hinge, said second end section having an inner end disposed adjacent the other end of said intermediate section, said last mentioned end of the intermediate section and the inner end of said second endsection having corresponding notches forming opposed jaw faces when the gate hinge is assembled and between which an upright end rail of a gate is adapted to be disposed in engagement with said jaw faces for spacing the inner end of the second end section, from the adjacent end of said intermediate section, and fastening means extending along side edges of each of the sections and abutting the ends of the end sections and adjustable for clamping the intermediate section and second end section, to the gate end and for securing the first end section in abutting engagement against the first mentioned end of the intermediate section.

2-, A gate hinge as in. claim 1, said fastening meanscomprising a U-shaped bolt having a bight portion engaging around the outer end of the first end section and substantially parallel legs disposed against the side edges of the intermediate section and second end section and between which the said sections are disposed and having terminal portions extending beyond. the outer end of said second end section, a cross head detachably engaging against the outer end of said second section and having openings through which the parallel legs of the bolt extend, said bolt legs having threaded terminal portions, a nut engaging each threaded terminal and bearing against the cross head, said sections being disposed between thebight portion of the bolt and said cross head and being clamped therebetween and in engagement with the end of the gate by tightening of said nuts.

A gate hinge as in claim 2, said side edges of the intermediate section and second end section having grooves extending from end to end thereof and disposed in alignment for receiving the parallel legs of the bolt, the outer edge of the first end section having a groove extending from end to end thereof and communicating at its ends with corresponding ends of the grooves of the intermediate section for receiving the bight portion of the bolt.

4. A gate hinge as in claim 3, said bight portion of the bolt being substantially semicircular, and the outer grooved edge of said first end section being substantially semicircular t0 fit the bight portion of the bolt.

5. An elongated gate hinge comprising an intermediate section, a first end section and a second end section, said sections being disposed in end-to-end relationship when assembled, fastening means surrounding the remote ends and the side edges of the hinge sections and adjustable for urging the sections thereof toward one another endwise of the gate hinge, and the adjacent end of the intermediate section and first end section being recessed to define an opening adapted to loosely engage an upright supporting member around which the gate hinge is adapted to swing in a horizontal plane about the supporting member as an axis, said intermediate section and second end section having adjacent ends normally disposed in spaced end-to-end relationship and having complementary opposed recesses each forming a plurality of jaw faces between which an upright end portion of a gate is adapted to be clamped by tightening of said fastening means for securing the gate end to the hinge and for swingably supporting the gate for swinging movement with the hinge relatively to the upright gate supporting member.

JOHN M. THOMPSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 584,011 Ordell June 8, 1897 768,819 Palmer Aug. 30, 1904 969,925 Wheeling Sept. 13, 1910 1,343,870 James June 15, 1920 1,420,853 Long June 27, 1922 1,470,429 Dunbar Oct. 9, 1923 

